Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सूर्यचन्द्रावुभौ देवौ पृथ्व्यां वंशप्रवर्त्तकौ । शिवसेवारतौ नित्यं सवंश्यौ तौ मुनीश्वर

Transliteration

sūryacandrāvubhau devau pṛthvyāṃ vaṃśapravarttakau | śivasevāratau nityaṃ savaṃśyau tau munīśvara

Translation

O lord among sages, the deities Sun and Moon both became the founders of royal lineages upon the earth; ever intent on the service of Lord Śiva, they—together with their dynasties—remain firmly established in Śiva-centered devotion.

Word by Word

• सूर्यचन्द्रौ: the Sun and the Moon
• सूर्यचन्द्रौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषणम्

• देवौ: two gods
• देवौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• पृथ्व्याम्: on the earth
• पृथ्व्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वंशप्रवर्त्तकौ: founders/propagators of lineages
• वंशप्रवर्त्तकौ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वंश (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर्त्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वंशस्य प्रवर्त्तकौ)

• शिवसेवारतौ: devoted to Shiva’s service
• शिवसेवारतौ: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवा (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य सेवायां रतौ / शिवसेवायां रतौ)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• सवंश्यौ: having descendants/with lineage
• सवंश्यौ: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + वंश (प्रातिपदिक) + य (तद्धित/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (स-वंश्य = ‘with lineage/with descendants’)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• मुनीश्वर: O lord of sages
• मुनीश्वर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; the verse links cosmic regulators (Sūrya, Candra) and terrestrial kingship (vaṃśa-pravartana) to Śiva-sevā, implying Śiva as the transcendent source behind worldly order.

Significance: Frames righteous rulership and lineage as sanctified when rooted in Śiva-sevā; supports royal/householder ideal of daily Śiva worship.

Mantra Metadata

Type: gayatri

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Surya
• Chandra
• Earth

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that worldly authority (dynasties and kingship) becomes dharmic and enduring when rooted in constant Śiva-sevā; devotion to Pati (Śiva) sanctifies the lives of beings in the world (paśu) and supports right order on earth.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By praising “Śiva-sevā” as continual, the verse points to steady saguna worship—such as honoring Śiva in the Liṅga with daily upacāras—showing that even cosmic deities model disciplined service to Śiva’s manifest form for the welfare of their lineages.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is nitya-sevā: daily worship with the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” along with simple liṅga-arcana (water/flower offering) and, where customary, Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to sustained devotion.